Tips on Getting Your 2-Year-Old to Go to Sleep

All day long, my 2-year-old is a princess. She is lovable, respectful of others and just a great kid in general. However, until about a month ago, she was the exact opposite after 8 PM. Every night I tried to get her to go to sleep, she fought me - kicking, screaming and crying. So, her father and I would give in. One of us would end up holding her in the recliner until she fell asleep. It was affecting our time together as this did not often happen before 10 PM.

And then there was change. I decided that something had to be done differently. I read up on strong willed children, and one of the best tips that I received is that children (especially young toddlers) need a routine. If you can get your child on a schedule at a young age, this is a huge benefit.

Every evening at about 7:15 our routine begins. We give our daughter a bath and let her play for about 20 minutes in the water (she loves the bath!). After bathtime, we get on our pajamas (which we call jams-jams) and dry our hair. Next, we gather up her blanket and piggie (her favorite stuffed animal) and head to the old rocking chair in her bedroom. I dim the lights to only a lowly lit lamp. I then give her a pacifier sit in the chair and read a bedtime story to her.

Tip : If you read the same bedtime story every night, the routine is very smooth. We read a night-night story with furry animals that she can touch as we read. In reading through the book, we are telling each animal "night-night".

As soon as the book is over, I turn out the lamp and turn on her Mozart music. Then I rock her while she drinks a bottle. Once the bottle is done, I give her a kiss on the cheek and say "night-night sweetie. Mama loves you!". I then lower her, the blanket and the piggie into the crib.

Sometimes at this point she is so tired she falls right asleep. Other times, she is restless and turns quite a bit. Sometimes she wines and/or crysa little as well. If she is having trouble falling asleep, I lay on the ground next to her crib saying "Shhhhhh". Once she has calmed down, I very quietly leave the room.

This method has worked every night since I started doing it. Its the combination of the routine and of us being firm that it making it successful. The first few nights she cried more and longer once she was in her crib. Before I had kids, I always said how I would use the let them cry method. But let me tell you, when it's your child that can be very difficult. When I began this new routine, I let her cry while I was sitting on the ground next to her trying to soothingly talk to her. And it worked!

So, in conclusion, to all you parents out there that are having a nightly battle with getting your toddler to go to sleep - I highly recommend you find a consistent routine to try with your child. Every night (no exceptions if the child is fussy!!!), go through the same motions - find out what works best with you child and stick to it. Good luck!